Friends, co-workers, and nerdy things
by MacsDuster
Summary: A continuation of 'The Desert' where Danny and Mindy try to figure out where they stand with confusing results. This is my first fanfiction ever, and a little rough around the edges so please be gentle. I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_"I certainly did not expect Danny passionately charging at me like I was Drew Barrymore in any romantic comedy ever or maybe Sandra Bullock? You know what? It doesn't matter now because Danny's firm hands and unbelievably soft lips are driving every thought out of my brain. I'm Sandra Witherspoon. Wait. What? Danny's enthusiasm and delightfully warm hands elicited soft moans and a flutter in my stomach I haven't experienced since...since...what is this man doing to me?" _

The shock of the moment finally jump started Mindy's senses as she jumped back knocking bottles of seltzer water everywhere after a deceptively sweet flight attendant with crow's-feet and a lack of patience showing on her face descended on them. "Sirs, I'm sorry to interrupt this little moment, but you will have to move back into your seats." "Uhm, excuise me? I am clearly a woman! No man outside of New Jersey has worn a jean jacket like this since 1995."

Danny grabbed Mindy's hand to usher her back to their seats. Despite the clearly feminine jean jacket Mindy was wearing she could still feel Danny's warm finger tips on the small of her back guiding her back to the seats they previously occupied. Mindy could not help but notice the charge his touch had sent through her body from a tightness in her chest radiating down to a numbness in her legs. Danny felt closer than ever behind her as she nearly felt a shadow of his skittish breath on the back of her neck. She was thankful the walk was so short or Danny may have had to carry her back to her seat, "_with those big, strong...No, get a grip Mindy_," she thought to herself feverishly. Had things always been this way?

They sat in stunned, awkward silence. Mindy avoided eye contact with Danny suddenly feeling the need to twist with the ends of her hair between her fingertips. Danny shifted uncomfortably, clearly looking to give an explanation, while noticeable beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. "Mindy I just...the plane started shaking...I wanted to see if you were ok. I...I'm sorry," he finished lamely.

Mindy felt oddly infuriated by his words. "You're sorry?!" she yelled in a shrill whisper that only Mindy could possess. "You literally just helped me write a beautiful apology letter to a guy that I am kind of, pretty serious about. An apology I could have given in person had you not kidnapped me on the way to your dad's house by the way. Not to mention making me miss my second flight by guilting me to find you in the middle of a freaking desert. A mountain lion could have eaten my alive Danny!

Danny felt spurred to defend himself. "Oh please, Mindy. Do you know how many times I have had to drop everything to come and help you with one stupid thing after another. There was the time I bailed you out of school jail, left work in the middle of the day to help you build a bunk bed, and I sit there and listen to you whine after every break up with the jackasses you date. If you ask me, it sounds like I just did you favor," Danny forced out more harshly than he intended to. A slight constricting rose in his chest at Mindy's dig about him forcing her to be there for him. He swallowed hard, but refused to turn away from Mindy's glare almost daring her to say something.

Mindy almost felt relieved that the flight attendant chose that moment to come over and give them a pointed glare and asked them to lower their voices. Despite revving up to fight back, Mindy, for the first time in as long as she could remember, wasn't sure what to say. Staring at Danny's determined face, she felt swelled by an anger and indignation at his words, but it was mixed with confusion, guilt, and a small disappointment that she did not want to admit was there.

Luckily the rest of the flight was short. Mindy and Danny sat through stony silence for the rest of the flight, going through the airport, and the cab ride home. The first time either of them chose to speak is when Danny slipped the cabbie a tip and told him to wait a few minutes while he walked Mindy to her door. Mindy, still having no interest to talk, sped her Fatsteps up as quickly as she could. Danny had to sprint to catch her before she made it to her door.

"Mindy, please just wait a second," Danny all but yelled. Mindy began rooting around in her purse for her keys avoiding any further conversation.

"C'mon Mindy. You forgot to tell me what a great kisser I am," Danny stated with a nonchalant arrogance.

"What! With everything that just happened you think the first thing that springs to mind is how amazingly sexy the kiss was?" Mindy asked with an awkward confusion.

"So you admit you think I'm sexy?"

"Oh my God Danny. Is this some nerdy Star Wars Jedi mind trick that you're trying to pull on me right now you weirdo?" Trying to get me to sleep with you is not going to help the situation." Mindy suddenly noticed their proximity as Danny stood just a few inches from her on her front steps.

"No, but it did get you to talk to me for a second," Danny said with a sly smile spreading across his face. Mindy couldn't help but smirk.

"Danny,..." Danny cut her off before she could say what he knew was inevitable.

"Look Min, I just don't want things to be awkward for us at work. Let's just forget this happened and try to stay friends, ok?" Danny had difficulty forcing a smile onto his face, but barely managed.

Mindy did her best to mask the disappointment she felt at Danny's words. She made the effort to match Danny's smile and quickly agreed. "Yeah, absolutely. Our friendship is important to me. I wouldn't want to lose that." Danny was pretty sure he shook his head in agreement, but was slightly distracted by the curve of Mindy's lips just inches away from him. He was unable to keep is jaw from dropping after seeing the tip of Mindy's tongue dart out as she innocently licked her lips.

Just a few short hours ago he claimed those soft lips with his own and remembered their taste of sweet strawberries. The air suddenly felt thick and Danny found it difficult to breathe inches from Mindy's face. He flashed to Mindy's eyes noticing something there. Was it anticipation, or was he just hoping for something that wasn't there? Before he could decipher what was happening the sound of Mindy's phone caused them both to break the seemingly never-ending eye contact. As Mindy pulled her phone out, Danny glanced down and could not help the bitter disappointment he felt upon seeing Cliff's face pop up. Mindy looked up in time to see Danny taking a few measured steps back.

"I'll let you get that. Good night Mindy," Danny said with a good-natured wave as he turned back to the cab.

"See ya Danny," Mindy said softly.

Unsure of what to say to Cliff, Mindy silently placed her phone back in her purse and carried her suitcase up to her apartment. Feeling the exhaustion of the past few days, Mindy crawled into bed fully clothed with only Brown Bear to cuddle with. Before she could close her eyes completely Mindy was stirred by a buzzing from her phone. Picking it up she read a text from Danny.

"You've been lying to me for a long time now. I knew you were a Star Wars nerd."

"Whatever Danny. Anything I know about Jedi's comes from your weird babbling lol."

"Don't deny your love of the galaxy far far away ;)"

"Goodnight Castellam-o :)"

"Goodnight Min."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review my story. It really encouraged me to make this a multi-chapter! I have an idea of where I want it to go, but I will be just as surprised as everyone else as to where the story ends up.**

Mindy paced back and forth in front of the elevators debating whether or not to get in. That morning she had woken up with a plan; go to work, head straight to Cliff's office, explain the situation, and once they had made up she would go on about her day as usual and no awkward moments with certain co-workers. That seemed delightfully simple as she prepared in front of the bathroom mirror, but now that facing both men was just an elevator ride away, her faux casual conversation in the mirror didn't seem to be up to scratch. "_Come on. You can do this Mindy. You're a warrior_," Mindy thought optimistically. Before she could work up the nerve to press the elevator button, Mindy was spared by an overly enthusiastic Peter.

"Mindy! What's up?"

"Hi Peter," Mindy droned.

"Listen, I heard about what happened between you and Cliff. That's a bummer."

"How did you hear? You know what? Never mind. I don't think I want to know."

"I know what you're going through. I just broke up with Maria."

"Really? Were you two an actual couple?"

"Almost. I just want you to know that I am now available if you ever need to talk, or a shoulder to cry on, a friendly oil-based massage..."

"Yeah, ok thanks Peter," Mindy exclaimed in exasperation. "I can't believe how little I got from this conversation."

"No problem. Anytime Mindy," Peter noted oblivious to Mindy's frustration.

Mindy welcomed the ding of the elevator doors opening. As annoying as Peter was, she was slightly happy for the distraction from the conversation she was about to have. As Peter took the right to their office, Mindy veered left to finally face Cliff. She took a moment to breathe before she confidently strode in the door only to be stopped by Cliff's receptionist. "Good morning Ms. Lahiri. I'm sorry, but Mr. Gilbert hasn't come in yet today."

"Oh, well do you know if he will be in any time soon?" Mindy asked.

"No, I'm sorry. He just said he would be in late today."

"Ok, well thanks anyway. Have a nice day." Mindy, deflated by the minor setback, sauntered out the door towards her own office. As she walked through the door she had the distinct feeling that something was not quite right. Everyone seemed to be staring at her and smiling in an unsettling way. "What's going on," Mindy questioned suspiciously. The first response was from a predictably cheery Betsy.

"Oh Dr. Lahiri! It's so good to see you today!" Betsy exclaimed

"Betsy, you look too happy even for you..." Mindy stopped when she noticed her door was left open. Before she could even take two steps she was almost winded by an unexpected hug from Morgan.

"Morgan, ugh geroffme," said a muffled Mindy smothered by Morgan's scrubs.

"I just wanted to wish you luck today. Go ahead to your office now. God's speed my beautiful ex-lover and friend."

_"Ugh. It's like everyone is on a weird acid trip today."_ Mindy thought

As she finally stepped into her office she saw what all the fuss was about. Surrounding her office were what must have been several dozen roses and a banner proclaiming 'Let's Stay Together' with Cliff smack dab in the middle.

"Cliff? Oh my God! What is all this?"

"Mindy, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I read your letter and I have to admit, what you said inspired me."

Mindy's cheeks flushed and her heart raced, but she couldn't place exactly what she was feeling and why. She turned around to view the entire office staring in. Betsy, Peter, and Morgan were giving a thumbs up and showing their excited approval; Jeremy and Tamra seemed pleasant, but indifferent. However, Mindy looked passed them curious to see the reaction of one particular person. She noticed Danny standing by the receptionist desk with a file in his hands that he was determinedly studying. Aside from a bright red tint to the tops of his ears, Mindy could not gauge his response to the situation at hand. Looking down and away Mindy decided to close the door on all of them.

"Cliff, this is...I don't know what to say." Mindy felt shy all of a sudden

"You said it all in your letter. I made a mistake Mindy. I shouldn't have gotten so jealous so quickly. I think moving in together is a good idea, and a great way for us to build our trust."

There it was. Everything Mindy thought she wanted was right there in that moment, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to get excited. This was the romantic gesture that she had seen in romantic comedies over and over again, all for her, but all she could think about was that stupid, sexy kiss with stupid, sexy Danny.

"Cliff. This is really sweet. It's almost exactly how I would picture our story if we were featured in _Love Actually_. This is great, but I just...I don't think we should see each other anymore."

"Wait. What? After all this? What has changed between last night and now?" Cliff demanded.

"Last night I...I kissed Danny," Mindy said quietly. "It didn't mean anything, and I care about you Cliff, but..." Before Mindy could finish her statement Cliff rushed passed her and opened the door to Peter and Morgan with their ears pressed near the door straining to hear. With a final look of disdain, Cliff walked out of the office as everyone stared back at Mindy.

"In case you were all wondering, Cliff and I broke up officially. I'll just be in my office trying not to cry if anyone needs me." With that Mindy shut the door.

Twenty minutes later Mindy's silent grieving was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. "Mindy, it's me. Can I come in?" came Danny's concerned voice. Without waiting for an answer Danny walked through the door. "So, are you ok?" Danny asked with a grim expression after glancing up at the 'Let's stay Together' banner still in place.

"Danny, not now please."

"I'm not here to cause any trouble. I know you're going through a rough time and...I don't know Mindy. Did I make things worse?"

"Uh yeah Danny, I think you did! He was all set to make up with me, and we would have it wasn't for the fact that you couldn't keep your hands off of me last night." Mindy said angrily.

"Really? It's all my fault? I seem to recall you being very handsy yourself, and if those moans were any indicator I would say you enjoyed it quite a bit." Danny said flaring up

"You're such a jerk sometimes."

"Look Mindy, huuhh, I didn't come in here to fight with you." Danny said with his anger turning into sympathy. "Just let me know if you need anything, ok?"

Mindy's anger quickly subsided. "Alright. Thanks Danny."

With that, Danny headed out the door to let Mindy be alone with her thoughts.

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who read/reviewed the first chapter. I know this was a little short on Mindy/Danny, but I felt like the Cliff situation had to be resolved. There will be much more Danny and Mindy in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Full disclosure, I know very little about medical terms or a physician's schedule. So if it sounds like BS, it probably is. Just go with it. Thank you to all of those who read and review! This chapter didn't go exactly as I planned it, but I hope it flows with the other two chapters. Enjoy!**

The doors to the break room burst open as Mindy traipsed in with her hands held above her head with an undeniable look of triumph on her face. "Gentleman and Gentlelosers, you are looking at the most electrifying doctor in the tri-state area."

"That's just not true." Danny said barely looking away from one of the many Shark Week documentaries he commonly watched.

"Oh Danny," Mindy began in a mock sympathetic tone as she sat down on the sofa, "If only you knew of the amazing miracles these two tiny, delicate hands have performed over the past few weeks.

Stumbling for a moment, Danny tried desperately to bite back the fact that he knew first-hand the effect Mindy's hands had on him specifically. He wouldn't call it a miracle, but a jolt to his long-dulled senses felt more appropriate. Quickly recovering, he replied with a lazy, sly smile "A bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"

"Mindy, to what do we owe this bombastic announcement?" Jeremy interrupted.

"Despite your condescending tone, Jeremy, I will share with you my glorious triumphs in hopes that you both will take notes and use this opportunity to learn from a trailblazer like myself. One day, after I become rich and famous from my reality show, _Miracle Mindy,_ and married to Michael Fassbender of course, you'll be able to say 'I knew her way back when...'

"Oh my God, just get to the point already," Jeremy and Danny cried in unison knowing from past experiences the full breadth of Mindy's elaborate fantasies.

"Fine. Fine. They say great things come in threes? Well in the past couple of weeks I delivered a set of triplets with great success, completed three C-sections, and the cherry on top with nuts and sprinkles of my sundae of awesomeness-I poached not one, not two, but three clients from the midwives single-handedly. I think Barbara Walters will be calling me soon for her 'Most Fascinating People' list. Well...she will after she finally responds to all my letters.

"Wow Mindy, that's great. It's amazing how good you are at doing the job your paid to do. If this wasn't your profession I might actually be impressed." Jeremy replied in an unexpectedly agitated groan.

"Hey man, what crawled up your ass today?" Mindy exclaimed, taken aback by Jeremy's harsh tone.

"Ughh, I'm sorry," Jeremy whined. "All this talk about cherries and sundaes has me craving a fix. I'm off to find my taste spray." Jeremy left in a frantic hurry leaving a confused Mindy and Danny in his wake.

"Don't listen to him, Min. You're on a streak. Keep it up. " Danny encouraged with a soft, warm smile that Mindy had seen more and more often over the past year. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.

Nearly two years ago, Danny and Jeremy's roles were reversed with Danny dishing out the harsh insults and Jeremy providing the words of comfort. However, this moment was different. Mindy could look back and recognize Jeremy's sleazy, transparent attempts to hook up with her. Danny, however, was sometimes painfully blunt, but always honest with her; good or bad.

Mindy quickly looked away realizing not only had she been staring at him too long, but this was also the first time they were really alone since the day she broke things off with Cliff. They had been cordial and professional, but avoided any one-on-one time with one another.

Attempting to break the tension Mindy blurted out, "So, do you think Barbara Walters will be giving me a call anytime soon?"

"I don't know. Doesn't she only talk to celebrities like that Hungry Games girl?"

"What? I'm sorry, do you mean Hunger Games? Please tell me you've at least seen Hunger Games Danny!"

"Yeah...right, where they have to eat all that food to stay alive." Danny replied trying his best to sound confident.

Mindy just rolled her eyes in frustrated disbelief. "Wait a minute. I know I've seen you read the Catching Fire book. Are you messing with me? Did Danny Castellano actually tell a joke?" Mindy asked in delighted surprise.

Danny's heart sped up at the sight of Mindy giggling at one of the few jokes he's told. He had to fight the impulse to feel her laughter by placing his fingers at the base of her neck stroking his thumb back and forth on her soft skin. Danny wanted to feel the hum her lips radiated every time she laughed.

For reasons Danny could not explain, he was sent over the edge as Mindy brought her hand up to push her glasses back on her face. He reached out and grabbed her hand lacing her fingers with his. Their first kiss culminated with Danny rushing towards her on impulse and taking in everything he could at once, but now Danny looked between their interlocked hands and Mindy's unsure face silently asking for permission.

Mindy quickly consented by lunging forward in a hurry to capture Danny's lips with hers. They both sprang to their knees on the sofa as Danny quickly grabbed Mindy's waist pulling her as close as he could. Mindy grabbed handfuls of Danny's hair while her arms rested at his shoulders. They pushed and pulled as their tongues dueled one another for submission. Danny placed one hand in Mindy's long locks silently begging her to slow things down a bit wanting to savor every moment of her.

Danny immersed himself as completely as he could with every sense standing on edge. He recalled, delightfully, how Mindy tasted of strawberries and pure joy. Danny's hands took the opportunity to roam everywhere they could from her hair, down to her waist, and even taking care to grab Mindy's ass lightly.

They broke apart both desperately gasping for air. With Danny's hands still attached to Mindy at the edge of her hips, Danny leaned his head against Mindy's forehead thinking of a way to explain himself...again.

At that moment, Morgan burst through the door causing Danny and Mindy to jump apart from one another.

"What's going on here guys? I'm sensing some weird ju-ju bees here. Oh, did you find out about the dog?" Morgan asked panicked

"What dog?" Mindy and Danny asked in concerned unison.

"Nothing. It's nothing. So what were guys doing in here?" Morgan questioned again

Panicked, Danny replied, "Oh I was just helping Mindy put in her contacts."

"That's weird Dr. L. You wear glasses and contacts at the same time?"

"Yup, you know me Morgan. Always looking to be on the cutting edge of fashion." As Mindy's face turned redder by the second, she quickly jumped up from the couch and rushed out of the break room with a passing "See ya later."

Morgan sat down and began to talk on and on about his new dog Bones while a distracted Danny nodded in feigned interest. _"What the hell are we getting ourselves into?" _Danny thought


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: This chapter is from Danny's POV. Danny is still in a state of confusion when he gets advice from an unlikely source._

The cool, crisp early morning air was a welcomed component of Danny's daily run throughout his neighborhood. He felt elation pour through him as his heart raced and his legs burned with each stride. Danny blared his special mix of Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits loving the balance it gave him. The high adrenaline rush of his run mixed with the soft tones of Simon and Garfunkel was the only reprieve Danny had to clear his mind from all the bullshit in his life right now. As _'Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall' _began to blast loudly from Danny's earphones he neared his apartment door and shut off his ipod.

Danny walked through his eerily quiet aparment and quickly peeled off his sweats to get ready for work. Upon entering the office building, Danny's peaceful morning was interruped by the ever-annoying Brendan Deslaurier. Danny didn't bother to hide his eye-roll at the sight of the midwife.

"Why hello Danny. So good to see you. Did you run to the office this morning? The way that you're sweating makes me forget how cold it really is outside." Brendan pompously stated.

"Whatever Deslaurier. It's called excercise. We can't all gain strength from being a self-righteous blow-hard like you seem to do so well." Danny replied coldly

As they entered the elevator, Brendan began to retort but was stopped short at the sight of brightly colored flailing arms and a voice screaming 'Hold the elevator!'

Mindy rushed in with her cheeks flushed. She held on to the wall gasping for air and clutching her ridiculously large purse.

"I see you ran here as well Mindy. You and Danny make quite the pair," Brendan said.

Danny and Mindy quickly looked at each other, then back at Brendan. Danny could see Mindy swelling up about to tell Brendan where to go and how to get there, but he cut her off allowing her to catch her breath.

"Don't worry about it Mindy. Deslaurier clearly has too much time on his hands due to the decreasing number of his clientale." Danny smirked

Mindy, finally catching her breath, took a moment to chuckle at Danny's barb as they left the elevator leaving behind a grumpy Deslaurier.

"That guy is such an idiot," Mindy exclaimed still smiling.

Without thinking Danny replied, "Yeah, how the hell did you date that guy?" Danny's comment left an awkward silence, and Mindy's smile evaporated into an uncomfortable grimace. Everything left unsaid between the two of them was hanging in the air. The silence was only broken by Beverly.

"Dr. Lahiri, there's someone on the phone for you. I didn't get a name, but it sounds like the lady that used to sell me ecstasy and friendship bracelets. I don't think it's her though," Beverly said calmly.

"Beverly...there are no words. Come on, let's go." Mindy replied exasperatedly

Danny silently thanked Beverly for the distraction, picked up his messages from Betsy, and high-tailed it to his office.

The foot Danny had permanently embedded in his mouth made him think of Christina. It was true; Christina crushed him more times than he could count. The only thing left of their relationship was shame, embarassment, anger, and the repeated malicious attempts she made to hurt him.

However, Danny considered the role he played in the deterioration of their relationship. He thought about the countless times Christina begged him over and over to 'let her in' and 'open up'. At first, Danny was genuinely puzzled by her pleading. "_Wasn't sharing his love of Bruce Springsteen enough; that's as close as two people can be," _Danny thought.However, he realized that he was just downright reluctant to truly connect. It was the same argument he heard from all his high school girlfriends, Alex, and hell even eye-patch girl noticed.

And then there was Mindy. Whereas the others had to beg and plead for small gestures and big secrets, Mindy easily(and scarily) extracted the major and minor moments of his life that he never wanted to, or thought to, share with anyone else. More than that, she was able to empathize...and yes, make fun of the moments in his life hidden from everyone else.

By the afternoon Danny crawled out from his enormous pile of paperwork to grab lunch in the breakroom. He was greeted by Peter halfway through a turkey and cheese sandwhich.

"Hey little buddy. What's up?" Peter asked

"Come on man. How many times have I asked you not to call me little buddy?" Danny complained. "We're the same size, and I'm older!" he exclaimed

"Alright, alright. No need to get your briefs in a bunch. Sit down, man. I want to talk to you more about implementing the Mobile Initiative. "

At that moment, Mindy walked in the room to heat up a hot pocket.

"Hey Mindy, what's up?" Peter asked

"Hey Pete." Mindy said making a show of heating up her lunch and avoiding eye contact

"Do you want to eat lunch with us? We're about to talk about the mobile initiative." Peter inquired

"No, not right now. I promised Morgan I would help him with...something. I don't know. He asked me to do something with him, but I wasn't really listening when he asked. Justin Beiber's court hearing was playing on the tv..."

"Yeah, ok. Thanks, maybe later." Peter said clearly uninterested.

"Mindy, when you have a few minutes can I talk to you alone?" Danny asked

Hearing the ding of the microwave, Mindy chose that time to evade Danny's question. She grabbed her food and responded with a quick, "Maybe we'll see," as she sprinted out of the room.

Danny looking dejected noticed Peter staring at him curiously.

"Dude, what is going on between you two?" Peter asked excitedly

"What? nothing. What are you talking about? Absolutely nothing. We're friends. Why?" Danny quickly rambled

"Oh my God!" Peter exclaimed "You two are totally making turkey bacon!"

"What? No." Danny replied. "Even if I knew exactly what that meant, the answer would still be no."

"Come on litt...big buddy. You can be honest with your bro. I noticed it when I first started working here. You two are always flashing 'do me eyes' at each other."

"We only kissed a few weeks ago." Danny argued

"Aha! So there is something going on. Just be careful man. She just got out of a relationship." Peter warned

"We're not jumping into anything. We just kissed once...or twice. Nothing else will come of it." Danny tried to convince Peter...and himself.

"It's like my buddy Skankbait always says, 'A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point or another, they will fall for each other...Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever.'"

"A guy named Skankbait said that?" Danny asked in disbelief

"It was either him, or the Dave Matthews Band...either way, those are words to live by. You should definitely be careful, but don't miss your chance. Anyway, we can talk later bro."

With that, Peter left the breakroom while Danny felt more determined than ever.

**A/N: This chapter was a bit longer than I expected it to be. I think there will be about two more chapters; the next one will be in Mindy's POV and the last will have a resolution for Danny and Mindy. Thanks again for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

As the smoke alarm went off, Mindy somehow managed to grab ten different pot holders in a rush to the oven. "No, no, no, no, no," Mindy unnecessarily pleaded to her burnt cookies. Thick dusky smoke filled her apartment as the gag-inducing scent seeped it's way through Mindy's front door. _"Who knew chocolate-chip cookies would be this hard to make?" _A pounding on the door distracted Mindy from her minor crisis.

Alex's panicked voice came ringing through the front door, "MINDY! MINDY! Open up if you can. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes. Everything is fine," Mindy responded as she opened the door. "False alarm, I just accidentally burned some cookies I was baking, but it's good to know that you respond so quickly to an emergency. I may have to move you up a few notches in the best friend tier!"

"A_ few _notches? Who comes before me?" Alex questioned gagging as she walked into the suffocating stench of left over smoke.

"That's unimportant," Mindy quickly changed tack. "Now that you're here you can help me clean up this mess. " Alex looked unenthused as she noted the cracked egg shells and various patches of flour all around Mindy's kitchen.

"What the hell were you doing in here anyway?"Alex asked

"I just told you. I was baking chocolate chip cookies."

"No,_ why _are you baking? The only time I've seen you go near an oven was when someone told you Tom Hiddleston liked a woman who knew how to make a great home-cooked meal."

"Um, first off, it was Michael Fassbender," Mindy said in the clipped tone she used when attempting to correct someone. She continued, "I wouldn't justcook for every handsome celebrity ever. I'm not some baking slut! Although,..." Mindy took a second to think. "...I wouldn't say no to giving Loki a hot meal or two. He's all sexy and misunderstood." Mindy went for a high-five, but paused at the look of incredulity on Alex's face.

"You have no love for Loki? Just as quickly as you went up, you've dropped back down a few notches." Mindy scolded shaking her head in disbelief. "If you didn't come to save me from the possibility of a fire then what brings you by?"

"Well, for starters you haven't been answering my calls for the past few weeks. You texted me that you were sick, but then Gwen told me you two have eaten together like five times in the past week. Now, you don't have time for me, but you have time to do weird shit like bake cookies. What's going on with you lately?" Alex asked suspiciously

_"Stupid Gwen and her stupid big mouth!"_ Mindy thought as she turned away guiltily. Mindy knew Alex had long-since moved on from her brief relationship with Danny, seeming happier than ever. However, Mindy still had no desire to admit to Alex about her few 'run-ins' with Danny. Even though Mindy had no clue where she stood with him, it seemed like she had to tell Alex, at this point, what was going on between she and Danny. Mindy still felt partially guilty for playing a part in the end of Alex's relationship with him, making this particular confession that much harder to share.

"I have to tell you something. And I don't want this to turn into the 'Givenchy fight of 2009.'"

Alex interrupted, "I know we agreed to share, but those shoes were mine first..."

"No they weren't, but lets not get sidetracked...Do you remember when I went to LA a few weeks ago for work?"'

"Yeahhh..."

"I was there with my co-workers Peter Prentice, Morgan Tookers, and Daniel Castellano...you remember him right?" Mindy asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, I remember Daniel." Alex smiled confusedly at Mindy's formality

"Well, on the plane ride home he, Danny that is, was helping me write this letter to cliff, and as a thank you I went to get him his favorite fizzy water from the back of the plane. There was turbulence and then he came back to see if I was ok, and then hekissedmeandIkissedhimandnowwe'renottalking..." Mindy rambled as quickly as possible.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's back that last comment up a little bit. Do you want to repeat that?" Alex asked confused

"Danny and I kissed...just once...and one more time after that, but that's all. I promise. You have to know that I never meant to hurt you or jeopardize our friendship, and if you want to punch me...softly in the arm because I bruise easily...then I completely understand." Mindy closed her eyes and braced herself for a punch that didn't seem to be coming.

Alex rolled her eyes amusedly, "Mindy, I'm not going to hit you."

"What? Really?" Mindy asked surprised. "I thought you'd be super pissed."

"Well, I probably should be, and in any other circumstance I would be pissed, but I'm really just relieved that it finally happened."

"What do you mean 'finally?'" Mindy asked perplexed by her friends calm reaction to what she felt was a betrayal.

"We were only together for a couple of months, and to be honest, the longer I stayed in that relationship, the more uncomfortable it became. All I heard when we were together was 'Mindy said this, and Mindy did that. Don't invite Mindy because I know she'll bring one of those idiot guys she dates. Mindy, Mindy, Mindy.'"Alex mocked in her best Danny impression.

"Half the things he said were in aggrivation, but no one talks about anyone that much...especially not someone who supposedly annoys them. And your as bad as he is. I swear you two have become best friends in the passed year. If I'm jealous of anything, it's that Danny probably ranks higher in the best friend tier than I do now." Alex explained

Mindy sat dumbfounded at Alex's counter-confession. She had to say, she felt utterly surprised when Danny first kissed her. However, when she thought about what Alex said, it made sense. Somewhere along the way, Danny had gone from her adversary to her go-to-guy for just about everything. Ever since she started working at Shulman and Associates she had tried her hardest to gain Danny's friendship never questioning why it meant so much to her in the first place.

As difficult as it seemed to get to Danny, it was jarring how easily Danny could get to her. He would argue with her constantly and knew how to say the right(or wrong) thing to get under her skin. When they finally found common ground the arguments turned into disagreements. The disagreements turned into playful bickering; which, then turned into conversation and light flirting.

Leading up to the L.A. trip, there wasn't a day that went by that Mindy didn't talk to Danny in some way. They would talk, text, or Mindy would just make up a question to email him regarding work. Now, they had barely spoken in weeks. Mindy didn't seem to know what to say if she wasn't attacking him with her mouth anymore.

Alex waved a hand in front of Mindy's face to snap her out of her revery. "Mindy, are you still with us?"

"What? Yeah. I'm just so lost Alex. I'm glad you're cool with it, but I still don't know what to do. Things have been so weird between us. I don't know if he's not talking to me, or I'm not talking to him, but we can't seem to get on the same page." Mindy pouted

"Have you tried having an actual conversation?No bullshit. Just say what's on your mind."

"No."

"Well there's the first part of your problem. Don't whine anymore until you actually talk to Danny." Alex commanded

"Fine. Fine. So you're really not mad at me?"

"Well, maybe a little, but to make it up to me you could eat one of these charred cookies."

After finally cleaning up, and talking things over with Alex, Mindy felt a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders. She knew she cared about Danny, but figuring out how he felt was a whole other matter. Mindy was ready to explore a relationship with Danny, but she remembered his 'let's just forget about this and be friends' speech. She could have kicked him, but decided to go along with it instead. Then, he just had to go and look at her with that face of his_...that stupid, beautiful, amazing face." _No more hiding. Friends or not, she had to figure out what was going on.

Mindy grabbed her phone to text Danny.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Just re-reading the Dune series. How are you?

"Dune? Yawn! I swear I wish my phone had an emoticon for boring. ;) Just j/k...I'm ok. Except, I just nearly burned my apartment down trying to bake cookies."

"Lol, whatever Min. Who in their right mind let you near an oven?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. You weren't here to talk some sense into me."

"I'll tell you what, the next time you're in my place, I'll show you how to throw down in the kitchen."

"'Throw down?' What are you a rap artist from the 90's now?...Seriously though, I would love to see you in action..."

"Whenever you're ready to come, I'll be right here."

With that, Mindy grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

A/N: Just one more chapter left and that will be filled with Danny/Mindy interaction...I promise. As always, thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is the last chapter of the series. Small warning, it veers slightly into M territory, but nothing too explicit. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing this. Thanks!**

Pulling up to Danny's building, Mindy could not help but regurgitate her second and third thoughts to the flustered cabbie. "It took us such a long time to become friends after hating each other for so long. Well maybe not hate, but we would certainly piss each other off. He was just so infuriating, but I knew a warm heart beat under all that Italian machismo. Now we're besties. I just bought him a friendship cake. What am I supposed to get him now? Sex cakes? Imagine how awkward that would be. Or sexy...or awkwardly sexy? Do you see how confusing this is Bill?" Mindy said without pausing for a breath.

"Ma'am," the deflated cabbie said with the bridge of his nose held between his forefinger and thumb, "you're my last fare for the night and the meter is running. Can we wrap this up please? This isn't _Taxicab Confessions_."

"Well I should think not. Those cabbies at least pretend to care about their passengers' problems" Mindy argued.

"Fine! Fine! Just explain to this Danny guy that after the kiss you two shared, you started to realize feelings you didn't know were there. Tell him that you've been searching for some idealized version of love for so long that you couldn't see the strong bond you two have for what it really is. You cherish the friendship that has taken the time to grow over the last few years and he understands you better than anyone else ever has. You've become a person who is ready to share their life with someone else, not because you feel you have to, but because you cannot imagine your life without him now. You are nervous about where it could lead, but you want to give the opportunity for a relationship a real shot."

"Wow, that was beautiful. Do you mind cutting that down to 140-characters so I can live tweet this..." Mindy began to question.

"Get out! Get out of my cab!" Bill screamed

"Alright, alright," Mindy said as she handed her money to Bill and stepped out of the cab. "I'm just saying we had a genuine moment!" Mindy yelled to the cabbie as he sped off down the street.

Mindy turned to walk towards the front door of Danny's building. She ran up the steps behind a couple who were clearly coming back from a date. "Hold the door please." Mindy asked as the couple walked through the door. Stepping over the threshold, Mindy went to give a passing thank you, but stopped short at the sight of Danny's crazy neighbor Amy. "_Shit. This is the last thing I need right now,_" Mindy thought. "Chloe! It's so good to see you." Amy exclaimed. "This is my boyfriend Chad. Chad this is Chloe Silverado. She's engaged to my neighbor Danny upstairs." Mindy was silently thankful for the introduction after nearly forgetting her altar ego.

"Nice to meet you Chad. Good to see you Amy," Mindy said as she turned to leave. She was stopped in her tracks by Amy's next question. "So when is the baby due?"

"WHAT?" Mindy asked offended

"When are you due? I'm not sure how far along you were the first time I saw you, but you're clearly getting bigger by the minute, so I imagine anytime now," Amy smiled.

"Yeah, gotta go Amy. Bye." Mindy responded shortly and headed for the stairs.

MIndy suddenly felt self-conscious and hyper aware of her laid back appearance as she walked towards Danny's apartment door. Walking out of the door impulsively, she failed to notice the ratty old jeans and fatsteps sneakers she wore during her failed cookie attempt. There was still a patch of flour on the side of her 'Hogwarts Alumni' shirt that she failed to change.

Once another one of Danny's neighbors walked down the near empty hallway, staring at Mindy as though she was homeless, did she realize she had been standing outside of Danny's door for far too long. Finally working up her nerve, she lightly knocked on the door half-hoping Danny didn't hear. Seconds later she heard his footsteps echoing through his apartment.

Danny answered the door with an immediate sly smile coloring his face. In a low, deep voice Danny asked, "Hey Mindy, what are you doing here so late?" His question feigned surprise, but going by his wide smile, Mindy had the feeling he had been waiting on her.

Without waiting to be invited in Mindy nervously brushed past Danny into his apartment, taking care to notice the subtle scent of cologne he was wearing. Mindy's mind was racing with the thousand different things she wanted to say. However, when she turned to face Danny, her mind went blank as he came towards her, lust pooling in his soft brown eyes. Despite being nearly the same height it felt as though Danny was towering over Mindy, close enough to count each eyelash she had. Much more serious, Danny repeated his previous question so soft and firm that Mindy would not have heard him had he been standing any further away, "What are you doing here Mindy?" Mindy's heart raced as she appraised Danny's face. As usual, Mindy found that there was no deceipt to his expression. Beyond the lust was a determined intensity that was evident from his unfaltering gaze.

Looking away and backing up a few steps, Mindy chose to lighten the mood. "I came by to get some of those famous Castellano cooking tips I heard so much about." Mindy said in a falsely earnest voice.

"Oh really?" came Danny's skeptical reply.

"Yeah, why else would I be here?" Mindy questioned almost challenging Danny to bring up the subject.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious."

"I just told you why I'm here, but why don't you enlighten me as to why else I would show up at your place. What exactly is so obvious?" Mindy questioned suspiciously.

"I think it's pretty obvious that you can't keep your hands off of me," Danny answered, his sly smile returning.

"What? Excuise me?" Mindy scoffed.

"Look, I clearly blew your mind when I kissed you, and now it seems you can't keep your mind off of me. It happens." Danny ruthlessly teased

Mindy's mouth gaped and her eyes blinked rapidly at the hubris Danny displayed. "Oh you really think I'm that turned on by your weird body. Maybe you should think about putting down those sci-fi nerd books because you're clearly confusing fantasy and reality pal."

"Is that so?" Danny retorted nonchalantly as he slowly walked toward her.

"Yeah that is so. Just because I rocked your world with a couple of hot make out sessions doesn't mean you get to project your fantasies on to me when..."

Mindy's rant was cut short as Danny closed the gap between them and stunned Mindy with a bruising kiss. Mindy wasn't sure if it was anger, passion, frustration, or all three, but she responded quickly with enough force to match Danny's. Mindy gasped as Danny's tongue slowly pushed past her lips to meet hers. She took care to admire Danny's well-toned muscles with her roaming hands.

Encouraged by the charge between them, Danny grabbed Mindy's legs to pull her up as Mindy instinctively wrapped them around his waist. Arousal pooled at the pit of Mindy's stomach as she felt Danny everywhere; one hand roughly gripping her ass, the other hand locked in Mindy's hair, and Danny's arousal evident on her thigh. After a soft moan escaped Mindy's lips Danny suddenly let her down and backed away breathing heavily.

"Sorry, I know you came here just for the cooking. I wouldn't want to...what was it...'project my fantasies' on you now would I?" Danny ground out coldly

"You can be such an asshole, you know that?" Mindy replied angrily, slightly disheveled from the kiss.

"Well if I'm such an asshole then I'll ask again, why are you here? Why did you kiss me"

"Why did you kiss me?" Mindy questioned annoyed

"Well, I asked you first. What do you want from me?" Danny asked stubbornly

They both stared at each other defiantly waiting for the other person to explain. After what felt like forever, Mindy shook her head in exasperation.

"You know what Danny? I don't know how to do this; with everyone else it's so easy to ask for what I want. With you I don't know how to make it clear so I'll just say it...I want us to watch Orange is the New Black together, go to flea markets and pick out weird figurines and wind chimes, and for you to watch every season of Real Housewives with me so you can tell me how much classier I am than they are. Surprisingly, the cab driver said it a lot better than I could, but basically, I want to be with you. Being just your friend isn't working for me anymore." Mindy said with an unusually subdued tone.

Danny's defiant expression broke at Mindy's admission. He walked towards her once more kissing her softly. As they broke apart, Danny replied, "I think I can handle that, as long as you explain what Orange is the New Black even means."

"Your such a nerd Castellam-o," Mindy replied with a smile.


End file.
